Curtis Allen Ritchie's Obituary
Curtis Allen Ritchie was born September 8, 1934 in Denton, Texas, to Clarence “Cack” Ritchie and Lillie Mae Ritchie. He died on February 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Elaine Freeman Ritchie, his sister Janis Thompson, his sons Mark Ritchie and wife Kim, and David Ritchie and wife Lisa Comparini, 9 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
Curtis grew up in Urbandale, now part of Dallas, and attended Urban Park Elementary and J. L. Long Jr. High. He and Sharon met at Woodrow Wilson High School, where he graduated in 1953. They married on November 25, 1955 while Curtis was at Arlington State University. The young couple then moved to Lubbock where he graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He later earned a Masters in EE and also an MBA at SMU. In the 1970’s, Curtis was recognized by Texas Tech as an engineer who has brought “significant contributions to the profession and in so doing have brought credit” to the school, and as such was listed as a member of their Engineering Academy.
Curtis and Sharon moved back to DFW and his first job was with Chance Vought in Arlington. After a few years he was offered a job at the Vought plant in Garland which became LTV and then E-Systems, where he was a highly respected engineer working on radar and satellite systems and a host of other projects that gave him great pride - even when he couldn’t really discuss them with his family due to security clearances. He rose to the rank of Vice President of Engineering And Advanced Technology, and was recognized by E-Systems as the first E-Fellow. He retired in 1993.
But his greatest legacy would have to be his family and the love he and Sharon shared in their 68 wonderful years together. Curtis and Sharon raised their 2 children in East Dallas, and he also loved taking his family to Lake Texoma where the Ritchies ultimately had 2 different lake houses. He took his kids fishing, camping, boating, skiing, Scouting, with yearly vacations to Colorado, Washington DC, California, but mostly on driving trips around Texas. He also enjoyed his cousins and made time for his extended family constantly. After the kids grew up, the Ritchies enjoyed a year in the mountains around Salt Lake City before buying a house in Granbury, where they lived for 25 years.
Curtis loved nothing more than visiting with his 9 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren, who all called him “GrandPaw.”
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